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Wivenhoe’s Bike Guru - indeed *the* Bike Guru for the whole of Sunny Colch - will be rolling out with the inaugural Tour de Colchester on Wednesday evening.

Chapeau!

Matt Lawford has had residency at the pop up space of the Hidden Kiosks in Colchester for just over two months now. He has another scheduled month to run, serving extremely fine coffee and fixing… fixies (and other bicycles) in tandem - geddit?

What has been truly wonderful about the venture has been the assorted events that have sprung up around the otherwise dead space. Under the far from cycling inclement cycling weather, Wednesday evenings have been put aside as a social evening each week. North Essex has past history in combining bicycling with culture - no surprises that Mr Mule was an originator.

Bicycling films have been screened; local musicians have added ad hoc entertainment. Hanging around an old bus station was never this much fun for me back in the day.

Which brings us round to Wednesday and Le Tour de Colchester. The town’s growing popularity of cycling continues, both within and outside of the formal funding and organistation of the status of Colchester being a Cycle Town.

But for all the debate about cycle lanes, lock ups and lycra, sometimes you just need to clip into your SPD’s and head off for a friendly hack around town. Le Tour de Colch is no bike warrior Critical Mass event - it is simply an early evening ride around town, and then all back to the Guru’s coffee shop for a warm cup of whatever turns you on and some local musicians.

Le Tour rolls out at 7pm on Wednesday. Running bicycle repairs can be undertaken down at the Kiosk until 6pm. Lights are essential, lycra most certainly isn’t.

As for the bicycles? Ride with whatever you feel comfortable on. There is a growing hyperlocal presence around Britain’s Oldest Recorded for mini-wheel machines. We’re talking tyres sizes of twenty inches and lower, Madam.

The Colne Valley Mini Wheelers bicycling club has even been formed - blimey.

Much of the interest can be traced back to the Guru himself. As well as running the Cafe and Workshop down at the Kiosks, Matt also works for Re-Cycle, Colchester’s bike aid for Africa charity.

By some peculiar hyperlocal twist of fate, the Moorside lock up seems to be receiving a steady supply of Raleigh 20 bicycles. Interest grew, a website was published and now there is a semi-serious club.

So yeah - #ridecolchester, ride Le Tour de Sunny Colch and keep the love for the mini wheelers real.

Chapeau!